JPH04291342A - image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an image recording device, and more particularly to an image recording device that uses a photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium carrying microcapsules and obtains an output image through processes such as exposure, pressure development, and heat fixing. Regarding improvements.

0002

[Prior art] Conventionally, photosensitive and pressure sensitive recording media (photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper)
An image recording device (
(referred to as the first image recording device) is known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6
1-137749, JP-A-61-143738, JP-A-61-173981, etc.). The photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium supports microcapsules in which a dye precursor is encapsulated and whose mechanical strength changes in response to light. A dispersion solution in which a color developer is dispersed in an aqueous solution is applied to the color developer medium. Then, the photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium is exposed to light based on the original, and a latent image of the original is formed by creating a hardened portion and an uncured portion in the microcapsules, and the exposed photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium and the color developer medium are A developed image was formed by crushing the uncured microcapsules by pressure development, and a color image output (hard copy) was obtained on a developer medium.

[0003] This first image recording device can obtain clear color images. However, it was not easy to maintain the image recording apparatus in order to develop color only in the portions of the developer medium coated with the dispersion solution that corresponded to the uncured microcapsules. Also, the white part of the manuscript is
There was a drawback in that the image output (hard copy) could be slightly colored.

[0004] As an image recording apparatus that eliminates such inconveniences, the applicant of the present application has proposed a second image recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-74943. The second image recording device, on the one hand, exposes a document to form a latent image on a photosensitive recording medium, and on the other hand, records exposed/unexposed digital information obtained by reading the document with an image reading device (image scanner). ,
It is converted into laser light to form an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor (photosensitive drum) as an electrostatic contrast between unexposed and exposed areas. On the unexposed part of the photoreceptor where the electrostatic latent image is formed,
A powdered color developer is electrostatically adsorbed to form a white developed image. This developed image is transferred to the exposed photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium by a transfer roller to which a high voltage is applied. When the transferred photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium and plain paper are developed under pressure and the uncured microcapsules present in the unexposed areas of the photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium are crushed, the dye precursor inside is released into the photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium. It develops color by acting on the color developer above. This coloring was transferred to an arbitrary medium (plain paper, etc.) by pressure, and after the transfer, it was heat-fixed to obtain a hard copy. In this way, since it is a dry color developer (developer toner), only the portion corresponding to the uncured microcapsules can be colored on the developer medium, and the white developer image is sensitive to light. Since the microcapsules are transferred to the pressure recording medium and hardened, the microcapsules are not crushed and the background color (for example, white) of the color developer medium can be output as is.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the second image recording device is an image reading device (image scanner).
, exposure equipment (laser light generator), laser light control,
Position control devices (controlling the alignment between the exposure position and the electrostatic latent image position) are expensive and require large devices. On the other hand, there has been a desire for a means for outputting a white background portion of a document as white on a hard copy without using an aqueous color developer.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the use of an aqueous color developer.
To provide a small, lightweight, and inexpensive image recording device that outputs a white background part of a document as white on a hard copy.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention exposes a photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium carrying microcapsules to light based on an original, and then exposes the exposed photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium to light. In an image recording apparatus that obtains an output image on the arbitrary medium by crushing the microcapsules and developing color through pressure development while in contact with an arbitrary medium carrying a colorant, the microcapsules include: A color developer on the optional medium to which a thermoplastic or photodegradable substance that exhibits tackiness when exposed to heat or light is attached, and corresponds to a portion that exhibits tackiness during the pressure development. was configured to be adhesive and peelable.

[0008]

[Operation] According to the present invention, when a photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium is exposed to light based on an original, the thermoplastic substance of the microcapsules in the areas that are strongly exposed to light (white areas of the original) melts due to heat and becomes sticky. Demonstrate. When the photosensitive pressure-sensitive recording medium exhibiting tackiness is subjected to pressure development with an arbitrary medium, the microcapsules exhibiting tackiness adsorb the color developer of the arbitrary medium. Therefore, the adsorbed portion of the color developer is peeled off from the arbitrary medium, so that the ground color (for example, white) of the arbitrary medium appears as it is.

[0009]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a color image recording apparatus M according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of a microcapsule paper 7 used in this embodiment. First of all,
The structure of the microcapsule paper 7 according to the gist of the present invention will be explained based on FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, microcapsule paper 7
The microcapsules 7b are applied on the base material 7a,
A thermoplastic resin 40 such as polyethylene or vinyl chloride is attached around the microcapsule 7b. Note that the microcapsules and the color developer are detailed in US Pat. No. 4,399,209, etc., so their description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, a color image recording apparatus M
The apparatus is roughly divided into an exposure device 1, a powder coating device 2, a pressure developing device 3, and a heat fixing device 4. An exposure device 1 is disposed on the top of a casing C of a color image recording device M. The exposure device 1 includes a halogen lamp 8 that exposes microcapsule paper (light-sensitive and pressure-sensitive paper) 7;
It is arranged below the halogen lamp 8 and includes a document table 11 on which a document 10 is placed. A latent image of the original 10 is formed on the microcapsule paper 7 on the original table 11 . This embodiment is a transmission type exposure apparatus.

A pressure developing device 3 is arranged at the lower right side of the exposure device 1. The microcapsule paper 7 exposed by the exposure device 1 is supplied into the pressure developing device 3 via each guide roller 12. The pressure developing device 3 is constituted by a pair of pressure rollers 14 that superimpose and sandwich a color developer sheet P1 and microcapsule paper 7, which will be described next, and perform pressure development.

On the other hand, a powder coating device 2 is arranged at the left center of the casing C of the color image recording device M. The powder coating device 2 includes a developer carrying roller 22, an electrode roller 23 arranged at a predetermined distance from the developer carrying roller 22, and a conveyor roller 23 that is stretched between the electrode roller 23 and a guide roller. A belt 24 is provided. The developer carrying roller 22 is grounded, and the electrode roller 23 is connected to a power source 26. With this configuration, a coating electric field is applied to both rollers 22 and 23. A powdered color developer S is stored inside the color developer case 20, and a part of the outer circumference of the color developer carrying roller 22 enters the color developer case 20 and comes into contact with the color developer S. It looks like this. A supply roller 21 that supplies the developer S and is rotatable so as to press against the outer periphery of the developer carrying roller 22 is provided at the lower inside of the developer case 20 . In order to regulate the amount of the developer S attached to the developer carrying roller 22, a plate-shaped blade 30 is disposed at a predetermined distance from or in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrying roller 22. has been done.

On the right side of the powder coating device 2, a paper feed cassette 18 for storing plain paper P in a stack is arranged.
The powder coating device 2 is inserted through the insertion port 29 by the guide roller 19.
inserted within. Powdered color developer S is electrostatically applied to the entire surface of the inserted plain paper P to form a color developer sheet P1. The color developing sheet P1 discharged from the outlet 28 is conveyed by the guide roller 13, and then superimposed on the microcapsule paper 7 on which the latent image has been formed, and transferred to the pressure developing device 3.
The film is supplied to the inside and pressure developed.

A heat fixing device 4 is provided downstream of the pressure developing device 3, and the developing sheet P2 subjected to pressure development is conveyed to the heat fixing device 4 by a guide roller 15. The heat fixing device 4 fixes a color developing sheet P2 on which a recorded image is formed.
Heat and fix the recorded image above. The color developer sheet P3 on which the image has been fixed by the thermal fixing device 4 is further conveyed by a guide roller 16 and discharged to the outside of the color image recording apparatus M. Note that the microcapsule paper 7 is supplied from the paper feed roller 5, passed through each guide roller 12 and the pressure roller 14, and then wound onto the take-up roll 6.

Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus M will be explained. After placing the original 10 on the original table 11, when the user presses a start switch (not shown), image recording is started. That is, the halogen lamp 8 is turned on and light passes through the document. This transmitted light forms a latent image of the document 10 on a portion of the microcapsule paper 7 running between the paper feed roll 5 and the take-up roll 6. During this exposure, the white background part of the original 10 transmits a lot of light, so the light energy is large, and the thermoplastic resin 40 attached to the microcapsule paper 7 corresponding to the white background part melts and becomes sticky. come to have. The microcapsule paper 7 thus exposed by the exposure device 1 is conveyed into the pressure developing device 3.

On the other hand, when the start switch is pressed, the plain paper P is inserted into the powder coating device 2 through the insertion opening 29 by the guide roller 19. The inserted plain paper P is conveyed to the transfer area 27 by the conveyor belt 24 by the drive of the electrode roller 23 . Note that the power source 26 is turned on before the plain paper P enters the transfer area 27. Then, a sensor (not shown) determines the moment when the plain paper P enters the transfer area 27, and the developer carrying roller 22 and the supply roller 2
1 is driven. The color developer S is stirred by the driving of both rollers 21 and 22, reaches around the supply roller 21, and is deposited on the color developer carrying roller 22. Color developer carrying roller 22
The adhering amount of the color developing agent S is regulated by the blade 30 and is conveyed to the transfer area 27 . At this time, developer S
is electrically charged due to contact with the developer carrying roller 22 and the supply roller 21 . Here, the charged color developer S
An electric field suitable for the polarity of is applied to the electrode roller 23 by the power supply 26.
The developer S charged by electrostatic force flies from the developer carrying roller 22 to the plain paper P.

Then, the sensor determines the moment when the plain paper P passes through the transfer area 27, and the developer carrying roller 2
2 and supply roller 21 are turned off. After that, the power supply 26
is turned off, and after the plain paper P passes through the outlet 28, the electrode roller 23 is turned off. The plain paper (color developer sheet) P1 discharged from the outlet 28 is conveyed by a guide roller 13, overlapped with the exposed microcapsule paper 7, and fed into the pressure developing device 3, where it is subjected to a pair of pressurizing A color image is recorded on plain paper (color developing sheet) P2 by pressure development by the roller 14. During this pressure development, the color developer S of the plain paper (color developer sheet) P1 is attached to the adhesive portion of the microcapsule paper 7. Due to this adhesion, the color developer S is peeled off from the white background portion of the plain paper P2 on which the color image has been formed, and the background of the plain paper (color developer sheet) is exposed.

[0019] After that, the plain paper (color developing sheet) P2 is
The paper is conveyed to the thermal fixing device 4 by the guide roller 15, and the recorded image on the plain paper (color developer sheet) P2 is fixed, thereby becoming plain paper (color developer sheet) P3 on which a color image is recorded. This plain paper (color developer sheet) P3 is the guide roller 1
6, and is discharged to the outside of the color image recording apparatus M. Although thermoplastic resin 40 was used in this example,
A photodegradable resin (for example, a diazo compound or an azide compound) that is photodecomposed by exposure to light may be used.

[0020] In addition to coating the color developer S on the plain paper P, it may also be coated on the microcapsule paper 7 on which the latent image has been formed. Furthermore, although a transmission type exposure apparatus is used in this embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a reflection type exposure apparatus.

[0021]

[Effect of the invention] As is clear from the detailed description above,
According to the present invention, since the microcapsules on the photosensitive pressure-sensitive medium exhibit adhesiveness in areas that are strongly exposed to light (corresponding to the white background of the original), any medium (developer sheet) can be used during pressure development. ) is adsorbed onto the photosensitive pressure-sensitive medium, so the developer is peeled off from the part of the medium that corresponds to the white background, ensuring a white background (i.e., the background color of the developer sheet). can.

Furthermore, since no aqueous color developer is used, maintenance of the image recording apparatus is easy. Furthermore, since conventional image reading devices (scanners), exposure devices (laser light generators), alignment control devices, etc. are not used, the image recording device can be made cheaper, smaller, and lighter.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an embodiment of an image recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of microcapsule paper used in this example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2...Powder coating device 3...Pressure developing device 7...Microcapsule paper (photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium) 7b...Thermoplastic material 8...Halogen lamp 23...Electrode roller P...Plain paper P1, P2, P3...Developer sheet S …Powder color developer

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium carrying microcapsules is exposed to light based on an original, and an arbitrary medium carrying a color developer is brought into contact with the exposed light sensitive pressure sensitive recording medium. In an image recording device that obtains an output image on the arbitrary medium by crushing and coloring the microcapsules through pressure development, the microcapsules have a heat resistant material that exhibits adhesiveness when exposed to heat or light. A plastic or photodegradable substance is attached, and during the pressure development,
An image recording apparatus characterized in that the color developer on the arbitrary medium corresponding to the portion exhibiting the adhesive property is peeled off.